


maybe it could be real

by PrinceWinter



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akechi Goro Lives, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Mild Blood, Mild Language, No P5R spoilers, Oneshot, vanilla p5 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:01:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27014689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinceWinter/pseuds/PrinceWinter
Summary: [“You could leave now,” Lavenza continued, “with your friends, to face the apex of your destiny. None could fault you for that, if that is what you choose.” He looked down to meet her sharp, golden gaze. “But should you choose to remain for just a moment longer…”He heard the distant shifting of chains and his heart stopped in his chest.“There is still one more person that is waiting for you.”]After rescuing his teammates from the prison of the Velvet Room, Akira seeks out one last person.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira
Comments: 14
Kudos: 276
Collections: Quality Persona Fics





	maybe it could be real

**Author's Note:**

> For how awful it must be to actually BE Goro Akechi, it sure is fun to get inside of his head through fic.
> 
> Anyways, I've been replaying P5 with my roommates (their first time, my second time) and we got to the Velvet Room scenes, and I just thought like... man, it'd have been great if Akechi were there. But he's not. So I had to write this fic to fill that void. 
> 
> This was mostly just a long writing jam to get my ideas out, so if you notice any errors, let me know in the comments! I really do appreciate feedback.

As his teammates rushed forward, towards the door that would bring them right into the nest of a false god, and Akira took one step forward to join them – that is when Lavenza interrupted him with a hand to his forearm.

“Wait,” she spoke softly, “I know time is short, but there’s something important you should know.” She glanced back at the cell door that had swung open to reveal the winding, maze-like halls. “…don’t you sense it too?”

Akira paused, following her gaze to the open doorway. “Sense something…?” Nothing came to mind at first, but as he lingered on his thoughts, he felt an odd feeling pulling at his chest.

“You could leave now,” Lavenza continued, “with your friends, to face the apex of your destiny. None could fault you for that, if that is what you choose.” He looked down to meet her sharp, golden gaze. “But should you choose to remain for just a moment longer…”

He heard the distant shifting of chains and his heart stopped in his chest.

“There is still one more person that is waiting for you.”

-

There was a door that hadn’t been there before, placed in one of the halls furthest from the core Velvet Room. The corridor beyond it was long and dark, the soft blue lights fading away behind him as step after shaking step brought him closer and closer.

Lavenza was right – he _could_ sense something. Or rather, some _one_. Whether it was something about the cognitive nature of the velvet room, some odd quirk of his strange _third-eye_ abilities, or something undignified like _destiny;_ clearly, Akira wasn’t meant to know. All he knew was that the only light at the end of the hallway, glowing dimly against bars wrapped in chains and vines, was a single flickering lamp above a golden sign – reading ‘ _SOLITARY CONFINEMENT’._

His eyes adjusted enough to see inside, beyond the layers that obscured the inside of the cell, and he saw the familiar shape hunched inside slowly stand up, a single gloved hand grabbing onto the bar. The voice that came from within was hoarse and ragged from lack of use, and dripped with a venom that had lost its toxicity. “And here I was, thinking you’d last longer before joining me in _hell,_ and yet here we are.”

Akira swallowed as he met those familiar maroon eyes. “…good to see you again too.” Guilt swam in his chest, recalling with a sharp pain how the last time he saw that face and heard that voice – it was all just before the _end._ Had he been here all this time? If Akechi was a wild card, then maybe he had some connection to the Velvet Room as well… but to become trapped here postmortem?

It felt wrong.

“So what was it that got you?” Akechi hissed. “A speeding car? A train accident? One of Shido’s men?” He hesitated, squinting as he looked Akira up and down. “…no, you’re in your Metaverse outfit. Don’t tell me a _shadow_ got you. What a pathetic end for the ‘winner’ of this little game.”

He bit his lip, looking down. “No, Akechi, I’m… not dead.” _Not like you,_ he held back. But the cognitive world didn’t seem like the realm of the undead – so how was he here? “We won. We beat Shido – just like I promised you.”

He noticed Akechi’s grip on the bars loosen ever-so-slightly. “…good. I expect better of you than that – but then, how are you _here?_ What, do the ‘chosen ones’ get to visit ghosts now? Did _Yaldabaoth_ send you here to _gloat?”_

_Yalda… what? Is that the God of Control’s name?_ Akira ignored his own internal question, figuring he could find the answer later. “No, he didn’t. After all, he’s our next – and final – target.”

Unexpectedly (though, in hindsight, Akira should have seen it coming) Akechi threw his head back and laughed, his voice a hollow rasp. “You never cease to amaze, Kurusu. Only you would just up and decide to _kill god._ ”

Akira managed a wry smile at that. “What can I say, I’m just full of surprises.” But still, why _was_ he here? Why had Lavenza sent him this way? Why was _Akechi_ here? When it clicked, he felt a spark of hesitant hope warm his chest. “…you could come with us, you know.”

Akechi’s laughter cut short with Akira’s words. “…what are you getting at? It’s some ridiculous miracle you can even speak to me –” bitter as his tone may be, Akira wonders if a ‘miracle’ is how Akechi actually sees it, “—and now, what? You’re here to drag me out of _hell?_ I felt that bullet enter my chest. My life is over. Dead men don’t hunt gods.”

“You’re not in hell,” Akira pushed forward, wanting to cling to this possibility with everything he could. “This is the _Velvet Room –_ when you first awoke to your powers, didn’t you get called here?”

“Velvet…?” Akira could see his eyebrows furrow in the dim light. “…you’re joking. I had written that place off as a persistent fever dream. Now, years later – you’re telling me it was _real?”_

_He must have rejected their help._ “It is. I’ve been there too. That’s where we are right now.” He swallowed, unsure of whether or not to even breathe this idea into existence, lest it get shot down. “…you know, in Mementos – we would that the shadows of the dead disappear after their death.”

“Kurusu—”

He pressed on. “You’re _alive,_ you have to be.”

Akechi bared his teeth in a snarl. “You have _no_ idea what you’re talking about. First you haunt my life, and now you must haunt my _grave_ as well? Let it go, I _died_ on that ship.” He looked away, his expression now disappearing into the darkness of the cell, but his tone now held more anguish than ire. “That false god told me everything. I was doomed to fail from the beginning, always meant to play the losing side to – to _you—”_ His grip on the bars tightened. “The one person I can never win against. That I can never be _free_ from.”

“You saved me,” Akira’s voice was barely above a murmur. “We were all exhausted from that fight, those shadows would have—”

“It was my fault in the first place!” Akechi snapped back, eyes glittering with rage. “I caused a problem and died a _meaningless death_ just to fix it! Don’t treat me like a hero for that!” Akira noticed his shoulders were beginning to shake as he continued. “I’d spent so long hating you – hating _myself_ for not _being you –_ that I’d doomed myself and—”

“Akechi,” Akira tried to cut him off before he spiraled, but to no avail.

“It was all a wasted effort from the beginning. I knew from the first time I saw you in the palace of that artist that one of us wasn’t leaving this ‘game’ alive, and yet I still tried to _know_ you—”

_“Akechi,”_ he tried again, firmer this time.

“What was your secret, Kurusu? Life chewed you up and spit you out, just the same as me – and yet you’ve ended up so _happy.”_ His words were coming out as a desperate, miserable deluge now. “You have friends that love you, a found family that accepts you, a glorious legacy – why? Why can’t I have any place in that?! Why—”

_“Goro!”_ Akira snapped, grabbing the bars of the cell. At last, the prisoner within fell silent with shock. “…be honest with yourself. Do you… really hate me?”

It took a moment for Akechi to collect himself again – _how long had it been since someone had afforded him the simple intimacy of using his actual name? –_ before he spoke. “…damn you, Kurusu, I…” Akira could hear him swallow dryly as he figured out his words. “…I _wish_ I could hate you. Hate is _easy._ It’s something I can _understand –_ but you? You’re something _else_ entirely.”

“I could say the same about you, you know.” Akira kept his voice soft. Though Akechi’s tone was sharp and hostile, Akira knew better. The one advantage of being such a bleeding heart is knowing when others are in pain. “I’ve always had kind of a weird outlook on relationships with others. Like it was just transactional. I give them something – a listening ear, some advice I’d read online, anything – to make them like me, and usually, it’d at least… kind of work.”

Akechi didn’t respond, so he continued. “But you, I… I never could predict _you._ I never knew what you wanted from me, I didn’t know what face to wear to make you warm up to me.”

“Akira,” Akechi’s voice was barely above a whisper, as if he were handling his given name like a fragile object.

“But,” Akira looked away, “maybe that was a blessing. I didn’t know what you wanted, what mask you’d like best – so I was only left with myself.” He bit his lip nervously, heart trembling in his chest. “My friends, don’t get me wrong, they’re all… all important to me. I know they care about me, not just the acts I put on, but you—”

“…you’re the first person in the long time I think that actually knew me,” Akira finally admitted.

Akechi was silent for a long time, before letting out a short, breathy laugh, devoid of humor. “…I’m starting to think this ‘wild card’ power is just given to people who are supremely messed up, hm?”

Akira laughed weakly as well, if for no other reason than to release the tension that had built up within him. “I doubt normal people can fit so comfortably into that many masks, honestly.”

For a few, drawn-out moments, there was silence. Akira reached out again to brush his fingers against the bars that separated him from Akechi – _wait,_ hadn’t there been chains and vines before? He recalled the cell being nearly completely obscured, but now it had the same, normal bars as all the others.

Then, it clicked. “…Goro,” he cautiously used his name once more, “I need to tell you something, even though I’m sure you’ll just think I’m insane for it.”

“As if _I’m_ in any position to…” He trailed off, shaking his head with a huff. “Go on.”

_Ah._ Akira’s palms felt a bit clammy all of a sudden. Maybe this part _wasn’t_ a good idea. Maybe too many emotional revelations in one day wasn’t the right move. Still, it was too late. Akechi was staring at him with expectant eyes, and there was no way he was escaping without giving an answer now.

“When I –“ He cleared his throat, buying himself another split second to choose his words. “When I said you knew the real me, I… I really meant that.”

“I would hope so. You’d never struck me as the kind of person to say things for no reason.”

Akira’s gloves were the only barrier saving his palms from the imprint of his fingernails, considering how tightly he’d begun clenching his fist. “…it was refreshing. Even… after we had begun to suspect you, a part of me really didn’t… want to believe it.” He paused. “I wanted to believe that the time we’d spent together wasn’t fake.”

No response. Akira continued. “…was it real?”

“I’m a good actor, Kurusu,” Akechi responded, the words hitting Akira like a bullet to the chest. “It’s a skill you learn when you have to rely on the good graces of others to survive from day to day.”

Akira pulled back. “…I see.”

Akechi bristled. “I wasn’t _finished._ ” Despite his forceful words, he then hesitated. “…when I approached you in the TV studio, _that_ was fake. By then, I knew you were one of the thieves, and I knew that meant you and I would be enemies. Two opposing forces in a battle bigger than either of us.” His voice became unexpectedly softer. “…and yet, you had managed to pull off something I thought was impossible.”

Akira prepared a good-natured reply, something along the lines of _I can’t help it, I’m just that charming –_ but something catching on the toe of his boot cut him off before he could speak. Glancing down, he saw vines growing upwards from the floor in the dim light, wrapping around the bars. Concern pierced through him. “Goro?” He grabbed onto a cell bar, holding it tightly.

“I’ve read a lot about people who love and hate in the same breath.” He stepped back from Akira. “I’d always figured they were _fools,_ and yet I ended up being one of them. A sick _freak_ who falls for the man he’s destined to kill.”

Akira’s heart stuttered in his chest. “No, you’re—” His thoughts raced. _Love?_ “You’re not a freak.” His voice didn’t have the conviction he wished it did, not because he didn’t believe what he was saying; more that he couldn’t believe what he was _hearing._ “Goro, look at me.” He held onto the bars with both hands, now.

“Don’t they say not to feed wild animals? They just get hungrier. So don’t… call me that,” Akechi stepped back further into his prison as vines of thorn-covered ivy continue to consume the entrance. “So maybe I’m alive, sure, but I… can’t come with you.”

Vines slowly constricted Akira’s wrists, thorns digging into the skin, but he refuses to let go of the bar. “I—I’m not leaving you here, I’m not going to abandon you!”

“And why not?” Akechi spat back. “I abandoned _you_ just fine when I believed you were a cold corpse in the interrogation room.” He spared Akira a glance, double-taking as he noticed the vines overtaking his arms. “You—you _idiot—_ what are you _doing!?_ Let go!”

Akira isn’t sure he could if he wanted to. At this point, he was in far too deep – literally and metaphorically. “I _said_ I’m not leaving you. Aren’t you the one who pointed out I don’t say things I don’t mean?” He tried not to visibly wince as more thorns dug into him. “I—”

“Let _go,_ Akira!” Akechi interrupted him with a snarl, though his anger was merely a mask for fear.

“I _want_ you to come with me!” He cried, unable to keep his voice from wavering. “Goro, I—” He screwed his eyes shut tight. “I’m _terrified,_ Goro. I’m about to go face the most powerful enemy we’ve ever been up against, and I’m _scared._ ” His voice dropped to a pathetic little croak. “…I want you by my side. _Please_.”

The pressure on his wrists eased unexpectedly as Akechi watched him with wide eyes. “You—” He looked away. “You’re a _fool,_ then. How do you know I won’t betray you again?”

“I trust you,” Akira admitted. “Maybe I shouldn’t, but I do.” The vines loosened a bit still.

“You’re right,” Akechi spoke after a moment. “You _are_ insane.” Each moment, the pain in Akira's arms was easing.

He gave one of his usual wry smiles despite the pain in his arms. “Guilty as charged. Or maybe… insanely in love?” That was, perhaps, the dumbest thing Akira had ever said, but there was no taking it back now.

Akechi scoffed in disdain, but the vines betrayed his true feelings by finally releasing their grip on Akira’s arms, retreating down the bars and back into the earth. “You are absolutely ridiculous.” His expression shifted slightly, showing a bit more vulnerability. “…if that was some kind of joke, this is your chance to admit it.”

“It’s… really not.” Akira chuckled nervously. “Goro – I _can_ call you that, right?” A hesitant nod. “—You were the one going on about how comfortable you were around me,” he felt a twinge of satisfaction the way Goro seemed to fluster upon being reminded of that, “but really, I think I was the one who really felt most at ease around you.”

“…” Goro looked down at the dusty floor. “You… mean that?” He looked back up with a hardened expression. “You… if you’re lying to me, I…”

“I’m not lying.” Akira’s heart was in his throat. “For… for so _long_ after we lost you on the ship, I just – I couldn’t stop thinking about something you said.”

“What did I say?”

“That you wished we met earlier.” Akira reached through the bars, hesitantly reaching out for Goro. “I can’t go back in time and make that happen, but I thought – if we could just make it out of there, off the ship, maybe you and I could actually spend time together without any ulterior motives or secrets in-between us.” He took in a deep breath. “I thought that maybe it could be real, this time. We could actually be friends… or something else.”

“And then we lost that chance,” Goro muttered bitterly.

“Not yet. Come with me.” He continues to reach out. “We’ll save the world, and figure things out from there. No more lies, no more secrets – just us, figuring out how we fit together.” A bit of desperation clung to his words, despite his best efforts. “Because I already _know_ that I love you.” For a moment, he worried if he’d picked words that were too strong, if maybe the full brunt of his feelings would be too much, but then—

“You… had better not be lying to me.” Goro’s voice was more vulnerable than Akira had ever heard it. The bars of the cell disappeared.

Instead of the door opening to let the prisoner out, like with the others, it had opened up to let Akira _in._ He stepped forward gingerly, now able to see Goro in his entirety. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days – maybe he _hadn’t –_ and his hair was a matted mess. Akira’s heart felt a pang of pain, and he thought about all of the ways he could help Goro get back onto his feet when this ordeal was over.

(He was already determined to succeed, as it was the _world_ on the line, but he felt especially motivated now that he knew someone would be with him on the other side.)

“You know,” Goro mumbled, not meeting Akira’s eyes. “The two of us could star in some kind of absurd comedy – a killer and the madman who managed to love him. Ridiculous.”

“Fine by me.” Gently, he took Goro’s hand, his movements slow enough to give a chance to refuse the contact.

But Goro didn’t refuse. No, instead he unexpectedly grabbed onto Akira and pulled him into an embrace. Akira was left at a loss, shock stealing any words right off of his tongue. After just a moment of hesitation, he wrapped his arms around Goro, holding him close. He was shaking.

“…savor this moment,” he muttered. “You’ll never see me like this again – being so… vulnerable. Weak.”

“Not weak,” Akira murmured. “I’m going to be there for you, alright?”

Goro didn’t respond to that, simply burying his face in Akira’s shoulder. He was such a fiercely independent person – how long had it been since he let someone else get this close? How long had it been since someone had treated him _gently_? Thinking about the answers to that question made Akira’s chest hurt.

After a few more long moments, Goro let go. “…we shouldn’t keep your teammates waiting.” Between them there was an unspoken agreement; they would get through this together, and figure it out from there.

Mercifully, it seemed that only mere minutes had passed from everyone else’s point of view, though that didn’t make explaining Goro’s sudden reappearance any easier to explain. They left out the part about their relationship, figuring that would be even harder to explain. The other thieves were hesitant to let Goro join them, but much to Akira’s relief – and Goro’s genuine shock – they seemed mostly happy to see that he was alive. Even Haru and Futaba, whom Akira had worried the most about their reactions, seemed to have a generally positive reaction.

As Akira exited the Velvet Room for what could be the last time, he caught Lavenza giving him a knowing smile from the corner of his eye.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Twitter @PrinceWinter15


End file.
